Light from the Shadows
by GhostGirl3000
Summary: When an ancient power awakens and begins disrupting and disabling the Shen Gong Wu, the monks are driven to lead their newest recruit to answers. With the addition of Jack Spicer and an unexpectedly vengeful Wuya interfering, will history repeat itself, or will there be a happy ending for our star-crossed lovers? (I know, my upload "Schedule" sucks, but I'll do what I can)
1. Prologue

A/N

As some of the origins have been altered, we will call this one an _Alternate Universe_ or something. Enjoy!

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"No! Princess!"

The guards stand just outside the barrier staring inwards. Watching me. Challenging me. I continue my casting as I scan over their faces.

They doubt me.

I don't blame them. My decisions of late have not exactly been remarkable. But this time… This time I know what I'm doing. This is the right choice. Now my eyes meet with my ever trusted body guard. My mentor. His eyes are begging me to reconsider. To let _fate_ carve its destructive path through my life.

He doubts me too.

No matter. I turn my gaze away from them and look once more upon Jian's face. I cannot let it end here.

I raise my hands over my head. I whisper, "Shen."

Light pours in the windows. It envelops me, it _drains_ me. The light goes dark. I watch silently as it surrounds Jian.

This is it.

My power is draining. My barrier falls. And my mentor grabs me, grasping my hands and covering my eyes. I pull my face away to see Jian's body fade into the shadows. Tears tease my eyes.

"Shen?!"

It's over.

"SHEN?!" my mentor's voice breaks into my mind. I turn my head from the floor to meet with his desperate eyes. He searches, but finds no answer. He grips my arms tightly, and frantically asks, "What have you done?"


	2. Chapter 1

It was a cold winter's night. Silence clung to the walls of the temple as the warriors and fellow monks slept soundly. The young warriors rested peacefully in their respective rooms. A calm air hung over them, as any attempts at robbing them in the night had come to a standstill long ago. Within the heart of the temple, a small dragon slept; _'attentively guarding'_ the sacred Shen Gong Wu, as usual.

A colder breeze passed over his scales, sending a long shiver up his back. He slowly opened one eye and glanced around the empty room. "Heh. Nothin'." He chuckles, closing his eye again. "What am I even worryin' about? No one's stupid enough to attack here anymore. Not even… oh… what's his name. You know." He rolls his hand in a uninterested fashion as he explains to his non-existent partner.

The breeze hits again, but it's sharper and longer than the last time. Dojo gives an irritated huff before sitting up and looking out the window. Without warning, a bright light submerged the halls of the temple, temporarily blinding Dojo and sending him crashing to the cold floor once more. A third shiver ran up from his tail to his nose. This one was different. It wasn't a cold shiver. He was sensing something. Something he had forgotten about for centuries. As his vision returned, he slowly looked to the window in astonishment. It was finally time.

"I gotta tell the kids or somethin'!" He advised himself before rapidly exiting the room. He didn't get far, however, as he turned the first corner and smashed directly into someone's leg. "Ow! Hey, watch it!" he called, rubbing the end of his nose. "You gotta keep a look out for little guys like-"

He glanced up to see Master Fung cocking an eyebrow back down at him. "Oh!" he yelped, "M-master Fung! I-I-I was just- and then- You… Did you see it?!" He rambled.

"Yes Dojo. I did. It would appear that the time has finally come."

"What do we do? Should I go wake the kids, or wait 'till mornin'?"

Master Fung quietly thought for a moment before kneeling down to Dojo's level. "Do not tell them yet. In fact, do not tell them for a while. We know not how this will affect them, and should wait until the time is right."

"R-right." Dojo nodded, still shivering slightly. "But uh… we can't leave, uh… _it_ where _it_ is, can we?"

"No." Master Fung said, raising to his natural height again. "I suppose you had better wake the monks then. Do not explain any more than what they immediately need to know. I will explain anything further upon their return." And with that, he turned on his heel and returned to his quarters.

Dojo, meanwhile, rushed to the Dragon's Hall to wake the young monks. "Up, up, up kids!" He called, banging on each door as he passed. "We got a live one! Shen Gong Wu alert! Let's go!"


	3. Chapter 2

A/N I know the chapters aren't huge, but I figured I could upload smaller chapters more often than larger ones. Please leave a comment letting me know if you's prefer it the other way around! Thanks x

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The monks sat on Dojo's back, rubbing their faces and eyes in an attempt to wake themselves.

"Dang. Shen Gong Wu know how to pick their moments, huh?" Clay yawned.

"Yes." Sighed Omi, "It can be most irritating. But we must not lose sight of our responsibilities." As he continued, Rai rolled his eyes and nudged Kimiko to show off his silent impersonation. Crossing his legs over one another, folding his arms and closing his eyes, Rai mocked Omi's speech. "As Xiaolin Monks, we must collect each and every item of Shen Gong Wu and protect them from the forces of evil. You have all been working very hard, and I shall soon have little else to teach you…"

As he rambled, Kimiko – now having enough of Rai's imitation – elbowed Rai in the stomach, almost sending him plummeting off of the safety of Dojo's back. "We know Omi. It's just been so long since one has revealed itself. Early morning searches were unexpected."

"Yeah," Raimundo groaned rubbing his stomach and glaring at Kimiko, "what are we even looking for anyway?"

Kimiko removed her backpack and pulled out the Ancient Scroll of Shen Gong Wu. Pulling it open, the group leaned in to observe the moving images as they described the Wu. Clay scratched his head, "The Gem of Gen?" He asked no one in particular.

"Grants the user all knowledge of the surrounding area, time, people and general world." Omi read. "Logging the most relevant and important information in the front of your mind."

"Hm. That's it?" Rai scoffed. "How's that gonna help?"

"What if Spicer got a hold of it?" Clay grunted.

"Yeah!" Kimiko joined, "let's just let him have all knowledge of our fighting techniques, temple and locations of all Shen Gong Wu! Sounds great!"

Omi looked serious. "Oh yes. Fighting us would be as easy as shooting fish with a bag."

"Fish in a barrel, partner."

"That to."

Rai relented. "Well… I guess we should get it then. Whatever."

"W-W-W-We're…h-h-h-h-here." Dojo announced, shaking all over, as he landed by the top of a large mountain.

"Already?" Kimiko asked as they climbed off his back and onto the snow covered ground. "It's only been like, five minutes."

"S-so?!" Dojo barked. "Pfft! Wha- What's so unusual about- There _are_ Shen Gong Wu in China too, y-ya' know!"

"Geez, calm down Dojo, she's just askin'." Rai looked down from the summit. "So uh… Down or up?" Clay grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face what the other monks were now staring at.

A gigantic, golden, glistening temple stood just a little further up the mountain. Omi pressed a finger to his chin.

"It is possibly up."


	4. Chapter 3

Within a matter of minutes, the monks had reached the inside of the lavish temple, which was – in fact – even more ornate than the outside. The walls were practically lined with gold and jewels. Considering there had been no sign of any monks or guards and the doors were wide open, it was amazing that the place had not yet been pick clean by bandits and other such riff-raff.

The five stood at the beginning of a long room, plastered with tall windows and tapestries. As they walked, they took in the glorious surroundings.

"Hey look guys!" Kimiko called as she sprinted over to one of the tapestries. "Looks like they tell a story."

"Yes," Omi stated. "it would seem that this temple was built to honour the great Princess, Shen."

"Who now?" Rai questioned, tilting his head to one side.

"Shen was thought to be the source of most magic in the land." Omi recited, occasionally pointing to corresponding draperies to reference. "She was most powerful indeed, possessing the power to do almost anything she wanted. And she was as caring as she was impressive. As she grew, she noticed how much the people of her land were suffering. And so, with the help of her mentor, Master Dashi, she drained most of her powers into objects that the people could use in turn. Using her name, "Shen" and the name of one of her most trusted advisors, "Wu" and adding the word "Gong", she created the "Shen Gong Wu", or _tool of God_. "

"Now just hold up there partner." Clay interjected. "Now why was I here thinking that Dashi was the one that made up 'em Shen Gong Wu?"

"Technically, he did. Well, he assisted. And after Princess Shen's early passing, he took care of them."

Kimiko's face softened in premature empathy. "Early? What happened?"

"Ah. Shen fell in love with one of Dashi's friends, Jian. He was greatly intelligent, and was assisting in the creation of the Shen Gong Wu, thus spent most of his time with Shen. He was deemed unfit for her, however, as he was of common decent. They promised to be together forever, even meeting in secret late at night, but they were always found and reprimanded.

One night, Dashi was out, once again looking for Shen, when he found the truth. Jain stood over Shen's weak body, clutching a knife and Shen's coin purse. Shen lived, and though he claimed innocence, Jian was eventually put to death for trying to kill the princess. It is assumed the he was trying to steal from her, or hold her for a ransom.

Shen struggled on with her pain for a few months, then, no longer able to cope with the heartbreak, left all of her Shen Gong Wu to Dashi and killed herself at the age of nineteen."

"Oh no!" Kimiko cried, covering her mouth to silence her gasp. "What a sad story."

"So, that's it? She dies? Just like that?" Rai asked, looking over the last of the tapestries.

"Unfortunately so." Omi said, hanging his head. "She was buried in a secret location to preserve her. Perhaps this is it?"

The group walked on, taking in the opulence of the chamber. "Hey, Dojo?" Clay asked, breaking the silence. "iffin ya'll was friends with that there Dashi, wouldn't ya'll remember this princess? Did ya' know her?

Dojo froze. "Pft! Well now, er… that was uh, centuries ago, I can barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday!"

"You remember Dashi and Wu Ya okay." Rai added.

"Well that's- it's not really- Hey now!" He called, suddenly sounding much angrier than before. "Aren't you supposed to be finding a certain mystical object? Isn't that your job here, instead of playing detective?!"

"Yes." Omi replied, "Though it has been years since we last tracked down a Shen Gong Wu, we must recall our training, and remain vigilant."


End file.
